Recently I had a conversation with my wife which went like this:

Just wear it.

No.

You’ll get burned otherwise.

I’m not wearing it.

Why not? What’s the big deal?

You just can’t wear a scarf over a tee with Daenerys fucking Targaryen on it. That’s not how things work.

Why not?

The statement of the image on the tee makes it wrong—it’s like… mixing accessories.

And there it was, revelation of the day: the print t-shirt as accessory. I would have worn the scarf—which is a light and soft cheesecloth material, grey like sprayed metal, and which I bought in Paris of all places—with a regular monochrome t-shirt without any imprint or image. In fact, I’ve done so many times before; usually with something black, because most of my tees are black. I shouldn’t have to explain why.

But slithered across a stylised image of Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, Mother of Dragons, First of Her Name, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms and Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, like some last-minute decree of slovenly indecision? I don’t think so.

It is the starkness of the image which makes the difference; this particular picture is cartoonish just like the playing card it mimics, and anything with text is is similarly problematic. If the statement is either in words or a specific image designed to draw the eye, or both, it then competes with other aspects like texture, shade or cut. In my opinion that’s precisely why such symbolic statements work so well on a tee—the garment is generic, simple, and doesn’t otherwise distract from the central message: the image itself.

The scarf is an accessory. As a general rule I don’t think too highly of mixing accessories, though piercings are an exception to that rule depending on the outfit and the particular individual carrying the ensemble, as well as the nature of the piercings of course. You can overcook anything, not just a steak. It’s one of the reasons why I think shoes should largely be as minimal as possible, unless they’re complementing or working with the outfit. Otherwise, the message gets muddled by competing statements. It’s the same with an accessory + an image. It’s one declaration too many.

Fashion pieces aren’t an orchestra; they’re worn solo. Just like a tee with a dragon on it. Or, their mother.